Who this is for: heads of customer service, operations or AI choosing an agent that answers customers directly. Skip it if you need internal IT service desks; that is a different category.
In short: Customer service is the one place outcome pricing has taken hold, because a resolved ticket can be counted. That makes the definition of "resolved" the most important line in the contract. Two of the five now publish exactly what counts. Two still ask you to call sales.
Key points
- Fin charges $0.99 per outcome, but "outcome" now includes handoffs, disqualifications and routings, and qualifications cost $9.99.
- Zendesk charges $1.50 per resolution committed or $2.00 pay-as-you-go, with an AI model checking each resolution before billing.
- Sierra prices only on outcomes but publishes no rates, so every price is negotiated.
- Agentforce publishes three pricing models that cannot all be mixed in one org.
- Ask any vendor exactly what event triggers a charge and who verifies it.
How we ranked
| Criterion | Weight | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 30% | A published unit price is the only way to model cost before a sales call. |
| What counts as billable | 25% | "Resolution", "outcome" and "conversation" mean different things and cost different amounts. |
| Evidence of scale | 25% | Customers, revenue and resolution rates, ideally beyond the vendor's own claims. |
| Fit with an existing stack | 20% | Switching help desks to get an agent is rarely worth it. |
The list
1. Fin (formerly Intercom; now owned by Salesforce)
- Best for: teams that want a published price and the largest customer base.
- Why it ranks first: $0.99 per outcome, on a public price list, with a 50-outcome monthly minimum for standalone use. Salesforce agreed to buy Fin in June 2026 for about $3.6 billion and closed the deal on 10 September, citing more than 30,000 customers and a 76% average resolution rate.
- Watch out for: "outcome" is now broader than "resolution". It includes handoffs to set procedures, disqualifications and self-serve routings, and qualifications cost $9.99 each. Model your volume on the new definition. The acquisition also raises roadmap questions for non-Salesforce shops.
- Pricing: $0.99 per outcome; helpdesk seats $29–$132 a month (Essential currently discounted for new customers) if you use Intercom's help desk too.
- What would change its rank: product or pricing changes as it is folded into Salesforce.
2. Zendesk AI agents
- Best for: teams already on Zendesk.
- Why it ranks here: a published price and the clearest rule on what is billable. Since May 2026, a separate AI model checks each resolution before it is billed, and conversations where no automation ran are not charged.
- Watch out for: the $1.50 headline is the committed-volume rate. Pay-as-you-go is $2.00 per automated resolution. Included resolutions are capped.
- Pricing: $1.50 committed, $2.00 pay-as-you-go; enterprise through sales.
- What would change its rank: disclosed AI revenue or resolution rates.
3. Sierra
- Best for: large consumer brands wanting a fully managed agent.
- Why it ranks here: priced only on outcomes, and the strongest growth story in the category: annual revenue went from $100 million in November 2025 to $150 million by February 2026, more than 40% of the Fortune 50 are customers, and it raised $950 million in May at more than $15 billion.
- Watch out for: no published rates, so every price is negotiated.
- Pricing: outcome-based, through sales.
- What would change its rank: a published rate card.
4. Salesforce Agentforce
- Best for: Salesforce shops that want agents across sales and service, not service alone.
- Why it ranks here: the broadest product, and all three pricing models are now published: $2 per conversation, Flex Credits at $500 per 100,000 (a standard action costs about $0.10), or per-user add-ons from $125 a month. Agentforce revenue passed $1.5 billion a year in the quarter to July 2026.
- Watch out for: complexity. Flex Credits and per-conversation pricing cannot be mixed in one org, and the reported revenue figure now includes Slackbot, so it is not comparable with earlier quarters. With Fin also now owned by Salesforce, expect the two lines to converge.
- Pricing: three models, published.
- What would change its rank: a simpler buying model.
5. Decagon
- Best for: enterprises that want a challenger with room to negotiate.
- Why it ranks here: raised $250 million at $4.5 billion in January 2026, added more than 100 enterprise customers in 2025 including Avis Budget Group, plus a commercial pilot with Deutsche Telekom, and was reported to pass $100 million in annual revenue.
- Watch out for: no published rates. Reports describe a choice of per-conversation or a higher per-resolution price on annual contracts, but we could not confirm that on Decagon's own site.
- Pricing: through sales.
- What would change its rank: published pricing and independent resolution data.
Left out, and why
- ServiceNow. Its AI is now bundled into Foundation, Advanced and Prime tiers, with consumption units on top and no list price. It is strong for internal service desks; this list is about customer-facing agents.
Three questions for any vendor
- Exactly what event triggers a charge, and who verifies it?
- Show us last quarter's resolution rate for a customer like us, measured by the customer, not the vendor.
- What happens to the price if our volume doubles, or halves?
Common questions
How much do AI customer service agents cost?
Fin is $0.99 per outcome, Zendesk is $1.50 committed or $2.00 pay-as-you-go per automated resolution, and Agentforce offers $2 per conversation, Flex Credits or per-user add-ons from $125 a month. Sierra and Decagon price through sales.
What is outcome-based pricing for AI support agents?
You pay per counted result, such as a resolved ticket, rather than per seat. That makes the contract's definition of "resolved" or "outcome" the most important line.
Which AI customer service vendors publish their prices?
Fin, Zendesk and Salesforce Agentforce publish pricing; Sierra and Decagon do not.
What should I ask an AI customer service vendor before buying?
Exactly what event triggers a charge and who verifies it, last quarter's resolution rate for a similar customer measured by the customer, and what happens to the price if volume doubles or halves.
Disclosure: lowob has no commercial relationship with any vendor on this list. That never affects the order. Prices checked 17 Oct 2026.